Northamptonshire Quakers join Anti-Trident peace scarf protest

On Saturday 24th January 2015 Northamptonshire Quakers joined a protest organised by Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND). Thousands of demonstrators marched from Whitehall past the Houses of Parliament and circled the Ministry of Defence with a pink peace scarf to protest against the replacement of the UK's nuclear weapons system.

The 7-mile long scarf had previously been rolled out to link the UK's two principal nuclear weapon manufacturing sites at Aldermaston and Burghfield.

Northamptonshire Quakers contributed 40 metres to the scarf (which will be unravelled and made into blankets for homeless and refugees.)

Prior to the march, Quakers joined other faith groups for a service at St Martin-in-the-Fields. On the church steps overlooking Trafalgar Square a representative of each faith group read a statement on why their faith opposes nuclear weapons.

"We believe that no one has the right to use [nuclear] weapons in his defence or to ask another person to use them on his behalf. To rely on the possession of nuclear weapons as a deterrent is faithless; to use them is a sin."